Dateline DFCI
Program aims to 'open doors' to colorectal cancer prevention
African Americans are more likely to die from colorectal cancer than Caucasians, and Dana-Farber has teamed up to fight that trend.
DFCI staff member Terri Greene (foreground) discusses cancer concerns with Beverly Moss (left) and Lillian Scopa at the complex where the two women live.
"Open Doors" is a unique study launched by DFCI and 12 Boston-area affordable housing sites last spring to prevent this disease by helping residents engage in more physical activity and screening for colorectal cancer. The effort reflects the commitment of the Institute and its researchers to craft strategies for reducing disparities in cancer occurrence and mortality among racial and ethinic groups.
Under the study, half of the participating housing sites have received health-education materials about colorectal cancer—the second-leading cancer killer in the United States—and access to a local screening program. The other half have received those items, along with an "intervention" in which peer leaders run activities, help residents set up screening appointments, and more.
On hand in late May to kick off Open Doors was Katie Couric, the co-anchor of NBC's "Today" show whose husband died from colon cancer in 1998. The organization she co-founded, the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, provided seed money for the project; the National Cancer Institute is also a supporter.
"Colon cancer takes the lives of 60,000 people every year in the U.S., but the good news is that it's preventable if caught early," says study leader Karen Emmons, PhD, of Dana-Farber's Center for Community-Based Research. "We hope to learn whether this intervention works to lower these rates, especially among groups hardest hit by this disease."
